RESPONSE TEAM CAN HELP LAID-OFF WORKERS

Workers at Tri-Con Industries Ltd., who will be laid off when the Cape Girardeau plant closes next year, can get help finding another job from the Missouri Rapid Response Team.

The Tri-Con plant, which manufactures automobile seat covers and employs about 200 people, will close Jan. 3, 1996. It has been operating in Cape Girardeau since 1983.

The Southeast Missouri Private Industry Council, working in conjunction with the Rapid Response Team members, will hold "Career Options" workshops at 3 p.m. Nov. 13-15 at 334-A N. Broadview.

"It's a sad situation when you lose your livelihood but it's an opportunity to look at your future and see where you want to go," said Ron Swift, executive director for the Southeast Missouri Private Industry Council.

The programs will include a description of the services available to the employees as a result of being laid off through a plant closure, Swift said. The programs include information on unemployment insurance, job retraining and placement services.

The Private Industry Council, which has been recognized nationally for its programs, helps workers at every layoff of 10 to 50 employees, Swift said.

The Missouri Department of Economic Development requested the Rapid Response Team's assistance with career counseling, resume writing, interviewing and job search skills workshops for the displaced workers. The University of Missouri Extension Service will provide additional services if needed.

Since the dislocated worker program was established in 1983, more than 70,000 workers have been helped. About 80 percent of them found new jobs.

The Rapid Response Team is composed of representatives from the Job Development and Training Division of the state Department of Economic Development, the Division of Employment Security at the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and other area agencies.

For more information about the employee workshops, call the Job Development and Training Division at 1-800-877-8698 or the Southeast Missouri Private Industry Council at 334-0990.